Chapter 25

A long time past without Jim figuring out anything, trying Kitty's patience to no end. The only good thing that happened during that time was that Amelia finally woke up. Upon seeing her awake, Delbert sighed with audible relief, noticing that her fever appeared to have broken...or at least, abated a bit. Amelia still was in pain, which was plainly visible from time to time in her facial expressions. Kitty, who had the foresight to know that her friend was going to be fine, still had to shed a tear at seeing her friend being forced to endure such pain. Delbert, who had no such foreknowledge, fretted and fussed.

Amelia, feeling a bit better, was concerned by Kitty and Delbert's glum faces. Ever the Captain, she attempted---in her own way---to rally her companions. Putting on her best Captain persona, she tried a speech. "Gentlemen and lady," she began, though a bit woozily. "We must... stay together, and... and... oh."

Delbert was initially relieved, but then became a bit frantic when Amelia faltered from her efforts. He hung upon her every word, and panicked a bit, prompting her to continue, "And what? We must stay together... and what?"

Amelia, in her weakened and wounded condition, was thinking none too sharply. Her mind flitted from one train of thought to another. For one moment, the Captain's defenses were down, and she spoke---not as Captain, but as the young woman she was. She looked up into the overly concerned, yet (she admitted to herself) soulful brown eyes of the Doctor, she remarked, "Doctor, you have... wonderful eyes."

Delbert was taken aback by her statement, Amelia just sighed blissfully, and Kitty softly chuckled at the both of their antics. She shook her head, thinking I am going to replay that moment to Amelia again and again and again... until she gives up being so stubborn, and tells me I was right.

Unaware of what was going on between the three adults, Jim was becoming flustered. Watching his new best friend, BEN decided that what Jim probably needed was some rest and some air---which he claimed, always helped him. BEN moved over to a moss-covered, rusty half-sphere in the floor and rotated it open to allow a rush of fresh air and light to stream into the room. Jim frowned with irritation at the overly talkative droid, but then had an epiphany of sorts. Coming to his own conclusion, Jim turned to the obviously distracted Delbert, informing him---as well as Kitty, that he had come up with a way to retrieve the map. Without much further ado, Jim---followed by BEN---impulsively jumped down this 'backdoor' of BEN's.

Kitty, knowing precisely what the young man was up to, decided to follow along, and jumped right after Jim, after giving Delbert her best reasuring smile. "See you later," she quipped in her most charming yet roguish manner, and---poof!---she was gone from sight, leaving Delbert and the wounded Amelia to their own devices.

Kitty tagged along, helping Jim pilot them all up to where the Legacy stood in orbit about Treasure Planet. The brief flight so enlivened Kitty that she decided to be kind to Jim and help the poor guy out. "So, Mr. Hawkins... what do we do now?"

Jim softly bit his lower lip, thinking. "Well," he ventured. "Um, I´ll go get the map, while BEN and you---"

BEN, upon hearing his name, dashed haphazardly into motion. "Yes sir! I´ll demobilise the laser canons, Captain Jimmy SIIIIR!" the gangly robot announced, then saluted smartly, inadvertantly splicing an irate Morph with his metal hand in the process. He then lowered himself down on to his wheeled combination legs/undercarriage, and zipped off in search of the Legacy's wiring cabinet. Kitty sighed, shaking her head in commiseration with a furious Jim Hawkins. "Go on, get the map, Jim. I´ll go after him."

Jim nodded his thanks, and disappeared with Morph in tow.

Kitty---knowing as she did how things were going to pan out---briefly thought badly of herself, leaving Jim alone to deal with Scroop. A small voice in her conscience warred with her own inner demon, which told her to find the wretched bug and carve his exoskeleton off---piece at a time---causing him so much pain that he´d wish he was the one who had died in that supernova.

She decided finally to follow BEN---which was ridiculously easy, seeing how the blathering automaton was singing a rowdy sea chanty---when suddenly the ship's alarm blared dolefully. "Bloody hell! What in blazes is that imbelic excuse for a trash can up to?" Kitty growled, dashing toward the howl of the alarm. She was nearly there when the ship's lights abruptly cut out. Kitty scowled, as even with her sensitive felinid eyes, it was difficult to see. But, determined to stop the well-meaning, yet disaster-waiting-to-happen BEN, she continued walking fast as she could toward the wiring room. She was nearly there when...the gravity abated, causing her to float away. She floated up the stair well, then athletically pushed her way over to get a firm hold on the mast. There she caught a glimpse of something that warmed the cockles of her heart. She heard Scroop's cry of terror and despair---as she saw him spiral off into the bosom of the Etherium. "Good riddance to bad rubbish," Kitty said with feeling.

She was enjoying Scroop's demise so much, she nearly jumped out of her skin when BEN appeared right next to her, proclaiming the laser cannons disabled. Kitty knew she should of felt sorry for the smoking and dishelved BEN, but well, she was still irked by his startling her. "Try that again, tin britches, and I'll turn you off... permanently!" she growled. BEN backpedaled warily away from the irate felinid.

Once Jim and Morph returned to join them, they embarked in the longboat, and headed back toward where they had left Amelia and the Doctor. Mooring the longboat, Kitty and Jim dashed back inside to break the good news to the two senior members of the party. However, Jim was in for a bit of a shock---Kitty would of been too, but remember, she knew what was going to happen already. "Doc! I got the map," Jim crowed as he ran towards what he thought was Delbert, but was surprised when the figure turned about to reveal the cyborg visage of John Silver. Kitty, realizing resistance was futile just now, just let the pirates apprehend her and tie her hands.

Jim scowled at the smug Silver, as Kitty worked the tight ropes that bound her wrists. Somehow, Silver didn't feel the need to bind the boy. Maybe they thought she would´nt be able to get out of them. She saw with some relief that Amelia and Delbert were being forced to sit still, while the pirates guarded them.

The pirates brusquely sat Kitty down next to Amelia, who simply glared at her, her green eyes wanting her to do something. Kitty formed the words silently, "I. CAN´T. CHANGE. THE. STORY."

Amelia, sitting back to back with the somber and dejected Doppler, sighed once again, realizing what was to be, would be...despite her wishes to the contrary.

Kitty looked over where Silver and Jim were having their argument "You're just like me, Jimbo," Silver was saying. "You hates to lose."

Jim glared at him, but then grinned when Silver was unable to open the map. The frustrated cyborg handed it over to Jim, commanding him to open it. Jim returned the pirate's gaze with a hateful glare that could most likely burn holes through solid steel. Silver frowned, then cocked his flintlock appendage of his cyborg arm and gestuered meaningfully at Jim's companions. Kitty nodded to Jim to follow Silver's directions. Who knows...maybe that was why he decided to comply...but comply he did.

Silver and the pirates grinned in triumph as the ancient map issued streams of green light that showed them the way to the fabled treasure of Captain Flint. Silver, smug once more, commanded, "Tie 'im up, and put 'im with the others."

But before he could say one other word, Jim deactivated the map, stating, "If you want the map, you're taking me too."

Silver chuckled, liking the boy's spunk. "We take 'em all!" he commanded, and the pirates helped them up and forced them all aboard the remaining longboat. On the way, Kitty turned towards a much pleased John Silver.

"You may think you've won, Silver. But, it´s not over yet," Kitty told him, her blue eyes firm and commanding. Then, perhaps to demonstrate to the pirate that all wasn't as peachy as it seemed, the slender young woman, laid the seemingly taught and securely knotted ropes that once bound her hands into Silver's hands, enjoying the pirate's stunned look of disbelief as she stepped over the gunwale to follow Amelia and the others.